Throughout my childhood, my parents were constantly telling me, “School comes first.” The sole purpose of saying this statement was to remind me that my academics should be a higher priority than whatever sport I was playing at that time because they knew I would prioritize athletics if the choice were mine. Being a part of recreational teams growing up shaped me into the person I am today. The integrity, trust, and communication skills I learned from being a team member or team leader were instrumental to my success as a student and as a person. Of all the sports I played growing up, it is my experience playing volleyball that has most impacted my life. I attribute the lessons learned during my four years playing Prout High School volleyball to my head coach and beloved mentor, Dan Greene. This essay will describe the ways in which Dan has impacted my life and influenced me to be the motivated, compassionate person I am today.
Although the volleyball team won the state championships all four years of my time at Prout, Dan’s goal was definitely deeper than winning. Dan was much more interested in the quality of playing than the outcome of a game, and he let the team know that in many ways. During one game, Dan substituted inexperienced but enthusiastic sophomores into the game for all six of the seniors who were not playing collaboratively. While my fellow seniors and I stood on the sidelines, I watched the underclassmen try with all their might to win a losing battle against the competing team. Dan did not care if Prout lost that match. He would rather the sophomores play their hearts out and lose than let the seniors slack off and win. The other seniors angrily jawed about Dan’s decision, but instead of joining in, I decided to learn from what happened. I cheered on my young teammates and reflected on how I could have acted more like them while I had the chance to. Dan taught me that the team needed me to be dedicated, cooperative, and passionate. Subsequently, these qualities improved my ability to succeed both on the volleyball court and in the classroom. Dedicating myself to my studies and my team helped me grow into the accomplished person I am today.
When conflicts occurred on the volleyball team, Dan facilitated reconciliatory team meetings that taught me how to get along with others. During an extremely important tournament one year, the team was not winning any games and we were falling apart at the seams, so Dan knew we had a deeply rooted trust problem that was hindering our performance. He advised the captains to hold a team meeting in the hallway, and suggested we get to the heart of the problem before our next game. By not attending the meeting himself, Dan allowed for an environment where honest communication could occur. Girls ended up settling arguments that had gone on for years because the meeting encouraged us to open up for the sake of the team, and we went on to win the tournament. Throughout my four years on the team, I experienced numerous team meetings like this one, and the breakthroughs that resulted from authentic communication still astound me to this day. I learned that having healthy relationships with others depends on how willing one is to show their true self and give others a chance to do the same. My life path has been significantly altered by the relationships I have made along the way, and I never would have created such deep relationships without Dan’s lessons on authenticity and trust.
When Dan was not teaching me the value of integrity or how to be a dependable teammate, he was opening doors to the future for me. Dan showed me that my goals were possible and that my quiet dedication would pay off. Despite my average volleyball skills, I was named co-captain of the volleyball team senior year because Dan trusted me to lead the team. If the team made it far enough in the playoffs each year, we would play the semi-final and final games in URI’s Keaney gym, which in itself was enough to make me feel proud of my accomplishments. Dan, however, wanted to make us feel extra special, so he went ahead and set up a personal locker room for the Prout women’s volleyball team including a sign and cubby for each player. To this day, I still have the one-page word document with giant letters spelling out “KERN” that Dan made for my locker room cubby because it made me feel like I could one day be a college athlete, maybe even at URI. Down the road, I would become a URI varsity athlete, but for the Women's Rowing team instead of volleyball. When it came time for the much-anticipated championship game of my senior year, I was incredibly nervous. It was Dan’s personal advice, faith in my skills, and ability to make me feel important that led me to serve the game-winning point successfully. The bravery and confidence I acquired from playing under Dan’s direction have helped me overcome the fear failure and pursue my goals. In high school, that meant applying for leadership positions and sharing my ideas in class, and in college that has meant studying Gender & Women's Studies so I can one day teach young people about personal identity and diversity.
My volleyball coach, Dan Greene, has been an incredibly influential person in my life for many reasons. By teaching me how to be a dedicated, trustworthy, and positive team member, he inspired me to try my hardest in all aspects of life. I have respect for others and myself because of his balanced view of personal differences. Further, I understand that there are many different successful leadership styles because he valued my ability to motivate my teammates quietly and calmly. Also, Dan has helped me to continue to pursue my passions no matter what they are. I would not be where I am today without the countless recommendation letters, phone conversations, and sound advice from Dan. From training me to be a collegiate volleyball referee to being my beach volleyball partner on Narragansett Beach, Dan has clearly aided my continued participation in volleyball. More than that, though, Dan has set an example of what it means to be a good person during pivotal years of my personal development, and I will always be grateful for the wisdom and support he has given to me.
Coaching to Inspire
Throughout my childhood, my parents were constantly telling me, “School comes first.” The sole purpose of saying this statement was to remind me that my academics should be a higher priority than whatever sport I was playing at that time because they knew I would prioritize athletics if the choice were mine. Being a part of recreational teams growing up shaped me into the person I am today. The integrity, trust, and communication skills I learned from being a team member or team leader were instrumental to my success as a student and as a person. Of all the sports I played growing up, it is my experience playing volleyball that has most impacted my life. I attribute the lessons learned during my four years playing Prout High School volleyball to my head coach and beloved mentor, Dan Greene. This essay will describe the ways in which Dan has impacted my life and influenced me to be the motivated, compassionate person I am today.
Although the volleyball team won the state championships all four years of my time at Prout, Dan’s goal was definitely deeper than winning. Dan was much more interested in the quality of playing than the outcome of a game, and he let the team know that in many ways. During one game, Dan substituted inexperienced but enthusiastic sophomores into the game for all six of the seniors who were not playing collaboratively. While my fellow seniors and I stood on the sidelines, I watched the underclassmen try with all their might to win a losing battle against the competing team. Dan did not care if Prout lost that match. He would rather the sophomores play their hearts out and lose than let the seniors slack off and win. The other seniors angrily jawed about Dan’s decision, but instead of joining in, I decided to learn from what happened. I cheered on my young teammates and reflected on how I could have acted more like them while I had the chance to. Dan taught me that the team needed me to be dedicated, cooperative, and passionate. Subsequently, these qualities improved my ability to succeed both on the volleyball court and in the classroom. Dedicating myself to my studies and my team helped me grow into the accomplished person I am today.
When conflicts occurred on the volleyball team, Dan facilitated reconciliatory team meetings that taught me how to get along with others. During an extremely important tournament one year, the team was not winning any games and we were falling apart at the seams, so Dan knew we had a deeply rooted trust problem that was hindering our performance. He advised the captains to hold a team meeting in the hallway, and suggested we get to the heart of the problem before our next game. By not attending the meeting himself, Dan allowed for an environment where honest communication could occur. Girls ended up settling arguments that had gone on for years because the meeting encouraged us to open up for the sake of the team, and we went on to win the tournament. Throughout my four years on the team, I experienced numerous team meetings like this one, and the breakthroughs that resulted from authentic communication still astound me to this day. I learned that having healthy relationships with others depends on how willing one is to show their true self and give others a chance to do the same. My life path has been significantly altered by the relationships I have made along the way, and I never would have created such deep relationships without Dan’s lessons on authenticity and trust.
When Dan was not teaching me the value of integrity or how to be a dependable teammate, he was opening doors to the future for me. Dan showed me that my goals were possible and that my quiet dedication would pay off. Despite my average volleyball skills, I was named co-captain of the volleyball team senior year because Dan trusted me to lead the team. If the team made it far enough in the playoffs each year, we would play the semi-final and final games in URI’s Keaney gym, which in itself was enough to make me feel proud of my accomplishments. Dan, however, wanted to make us feel extra special, so he went ahead and set up a personal locker room for the Prout women’s volleyball team including a sign and cubby for each player. To this day, I still have the one-page word document with giant letters spelling out “KERN” that Dan made for my locker room cubby because it made me feel like I could one day be a college athlete, maybe even at URI. Down the road, I would become a URI varsity athlete, but for the Women's Rowing team instead of volleyball. When it came time for the much-anticipated championship game of my senior year, I was incredibly nervous. It was Dan’s personal advice, faith in my skills, and ability to make me feel important that led me to serve the game-winning point successfully. The bravery and confidence I acquired from playing under Dan’s direction have helped me overcome the fear failure and pursue my goals. In high school, that meant applying for leadership positions and sharing my ideas in class, and in college that has meant studying Gender & Women's Studies so I can one day teach young people about personal identity and diversity.
My volleyball coach, Dan Greene, has been an incredibly influential person in my life for many reasons. By teaching me how to be a dedicated, trustworthy, and positive team member, he inspired me to try my hardest in all aspects of life. I have respect for others and myself because of his balanced view of personal differences. Further, I understand that there are many different successful leadership styles because he valued my ability to motivate my teammates quietly and calmly. Also, Dan has helped me to continue to pursue my passions no matter what they are. I would not be where I am today without the countless recommendation letters, phone conversations, and sound advice from Dan. From training me to be a collegiate volleyball referee to being my beach volleyball partner on Narragansett Beach, Dan has clearly aided my continued participation in volleyball. More than that, though, Dan has set an example of what it means to be a good person during pivotal years of my personal development, and I will always be grateful for the wisdom and support he has given to me.